First
by Hallie Black
Summary: James Potter is an obnoxious, arrogant prat. Lily Evans is stubborn and a bit arrogant herself. James loves Lily. Lily hates James. Will James ever conquer the love of his life when his each and every attempt always fails spectacularly?
1. The Birthday Party

DISCLAIMER: Is there really any need of it? I mean, obviously, I am not JKR, otherwise I wouldn't waste my time writing fanfiction… honestly! Anyway, just to make it crystal clear, I am NOT Jo Rowling, I do NOT own any of these characters and… well, that's just about it.

A/N: Okay… this is it. Please please review once you're done reading, because if you don't I'll have no idea whether the stuff I write is actually nice or just a pile of rubbish! Please! Anyway, that said… enjoy!

The sun was shining brightly that hot summer day, and an impertinent ray of sunlight made its way through James Harold Potter's navy blue curtains, landing exactly in his eyes. He yawned widely, sitting up on his bed, and grinned broadly. Today was the 18th of August, and it also happened to be his seventeenth birthday.

He quickly untangled himself from his bed sheets, put on a dark t-shirt and shorts, and tried (and failed) to comb his messy dark hair. Then, he grasped his wand, which was lying on his bedside table, and performed a quick washing and perfuming charm on himself, before finally heading downstairs.

As soon as James entered the kitchen, he was met by three people, already seated around the old mahogany table, who all wished him a very happy birthday. Harold Alan Potter was seated in his usual chair, which was the farthest from the stair; his graying hair was untamed, just like James', and his hazel eyes were twinkling. On his left was seated Elizabeth Jeanne Potter, who was smiling at her son, looking at him through her warm brown eyes, while her straight chestnut hair framed her face perfectly. On Mr. Potter's other side was seated a very handsome boy, who was grinning at him as James entered the room. Sirius Black was rocking his chair back and forth, looking rather excited; his long black hair fell elegantly over his gray eyes, which had the same, usual mischievous look that was always synonym of trouble.

Ever since Sirius had run away from home, last year, he had been living in their house with them, and Mr. and Mrs. Potter had sort of adopted him as a second son. James recalled the event perfectly: he had known that Sirius and his parents were not on best terms, but only when James had opened the door, some time last summer, to find Sirius standing in front of him holding a broomstick and a small trunk, did he fully realize the extent of their issues.

"So, happy birthday, mate," said Sirius, interrupting James' train of thought. "Everything ready for your little party?"

James grinned. "You bet. Can't have anything go wrong today, now, can I?"

"Don't worry about that, James, dear, because Tappy's already prepared everything. Your friends should be arriving soon, shouldn't they?" asked Mrs. Potter, nodding towards Tappy, the family's house-elf.

"Yup," answered James, "I told them all to get here around one o'clock… though Remus and Peter are coming a bit sooner… d'you mind?"

Mrs. Potter smiled warmly at her son. "Of course not, darling. Today _is _your birthday, honey, so you may do anything you like."

"But by 'anything', boys, your mother does not include setting fire to anything or things like that…" added Mr. Potter thoughtfully.

James looked put out. "Ah… I thought it would have been too good to be true…"

Sirius shot him a look. "Dunno what you're complaining about, Prongs. Fine, so we can't set fire to anything, but there's still so many things we can do…"

"Like what?" asked James.

"Well, you could open your presents, for one thing," answered Sirius, shrugging.

James grinned. "You know, that doesn't sound half bad, actually. Strange it came from you, Padfoot."

Sirius shot him another look, although this one far more annoyed than the previous. "Haha. Wow, Prongs, you could honestly win the Funniest-Wizard-On-This-Planet prize…"

Mr. Potter smiled benignly at the two of them. "Now, now, boys, try not to argue this early in the morning… with the aim either of you has got, I'm really not in the mood for dodging curses right now."

Mrs. Potter laughed.

"Well," said Sirius, "seems like your dad wants to give you a run for your money with that prize, doesn't he?"

Mr. Potter grinned. "I do try."

"Well?" spoke up Mrs. Potter. "I thought you two wanted to go open James' presents?"

"Oh, yeah," said James. "You know, I'm pretty interested in seeing whether Uncle John and Aunt Ruby finally remembered my birthday…"

"Yeah," continued Sirius, "and didn't your Aunt Alana say she was going to get you a Nimbus 1500?"

James shot him a sly grin. "Oh sure, now I get it… that's why you want me to unwrap my gifts so much, isn't it? You want to use my broom!"

"Yeah, well, it's only the fastest broom around, isn't it?" asked Sirius.

"It is. But don't look at me like that, you dog, because I am so _not _letting you ride it!" laughed James.

"Oh come on, mate, I'm your best buddy in the whole wide world! What'll I do if you don't let me ride it?" whined Sirius.

James grinned. "You'll watch me zoom around at top speed, wishing you were me. Plus, you've got that Comet 140, don't you? That's not bad…"

"Yeah, yeah, Comets look flashy, but you know they're not in the same league as the Nimbus…" moaned Sirius.

"Oh… well, that's just too bad, isn't it?" said James. But as Sirius kept on complaining, droning on and on about the unfairness of his life, James rolled his eyes. "Fine, I'll let you try it JUST ONCE. Now will you shut up?"

Sirius grinned. "Of course."

"Okay. So, are we opening those gifts or not?"

James didn't even have time to finish the sentence before Sirius, extracting his wand, bellowed, "_ Accio _, presents!"

Mr. and Mrs. Potter gave each other knowing glances, but were interrupted as a stream of different sized parcels flew by them, one of them narrowing missing Harold Potter's head.

After having unwrapped all his gifts, some more satisfactory than others (while Aunt Alana had indeed kept her wand and gotten him a very fast racing broom, Uncle John and Aunt Ruby, who had finally remembered James' birthday, had sent him a tiny carillon… which had left James completely speechless. Only then did Mrs. Potter say that she had forgotten to mention to her brother-in-law exactly how old her son was turning), James and Sirius went to their rooms to change and get ready to welcome the guests: for his seventeenth birthday, James had thrown a small party. He had not invited many people: only two of his three best friends (Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew, since Sirius was already there), his cousins, Helen and Thomas Bloom, and a couple of other people from school.

Amongst these other people was one Lily Evans, who was James' not-so-secret crush. James had been practically drooling over her since fourth year, but in his attempts to get her attention, he always ended up looking like a real git in front of her. The result? Saying that Lily couldn't stand him much would be the understatement of the year. As a matter of fact, the only reason Lily was coming to his party at all was that James' cousin, Helen, also happened to be Lily's best friend.

"James, dear! Sirius! Your friend Remus is here!" called Mrs. Potter from downstairs.

As the two boys made their way to the living room, they could see Remus getting out of the fireplace (he had apparently arrived by Floo powder), a bit covered in soot but overall in good shape.

"Happy birthday, Prongs," smiled Remus, handing him a package. It looked horribly like a book (whereas reading was absolutely James' least favorite activity), but James grabbed it enthusiastically all the same.

Sirius spoke up. "If that's a book you're getting him, Moony, let me remind you that your last attempt at knocking some culture in Prongs' head was pointless, to say the least."

"Listen who's talking, Mr. I-Still-Haven't-Learned-The-Alphabet-And-I-Can-Only-Count-Up-To-Three," answered James coldly.

Sirius looked shocked. "Now, that's a blatant _lie_, Prongs. I can count up to ten, you know," he answered smugly.

"Wow, some improvement," exclaimed Remus, "I'm impressed. When did you learn to count to ten?"

"When counting to ten became vital for a prank to work."

James and his three best friends were very well-known around Hogwarts as the Marauders, the four best prankers and the four most good-looking boys of the whole school, a reputation they were very proud to keep up (especially Sirius and James).

"Oh. I'd have thought that ten was the number of girls you could go out with in a week," answered Remus thoughtfully.

"Yeah right. Ex-_cuse_ me, you're talking to the single most wanted guy in the whole school. Do you really think I can't do any better than ten?" asked Sirius, clearly offended.

This time it was James' turn to look affronted. "Since when have _you _been the single most wanted guy in the whole school, may I ask?"

"Since always, Prongs, sorry to break it to you."

"Yeah right! Padfoot, you know I'm more wanted than you are!" said James.

"In your dreams…"

"Er," interrupted Remus, "could we stop this silly competition as to who should be named Hogwarts' Number One Hottie?"

James and Sirius stared at Remus, then turned to each other and grinned. "You know, Moony, mate, Hogwarts' Number One Hottie doesn't sound half bad… Hello, my name is James Potter, and I am Hogwarts' Number One Hottie," said James, mock-serious.

"No way, _I'm _Hogwarts' Number One Hottie, Prongs, you can be Number Two if you like," answered Sirius.

They would have kept at it for quite a long time if, right at that moment, the doorbell hadn't rung. Once the three had opened the door, they found themselves face to face with the last Marauder, Peter Pettigrew, nicknamed Wormtail, accompanied by his overly-protective mother.

"Well, have fun, Pete, darling. And behave yourself!" said elderly Mrs. Pettigrew.

Peter blushed furiously at such an obvious (and, in his opinion, uncalled for) display of affection. "I will," he muttered, "now bye, Mum."

"Oh, c'mon, Wormtail, don't be so rude!" said Sirius, smiling brightly. "Mrs. Pettigrew, may I tell you you look absolutely ravishing today?"

"Oh, such nice, polite little friends you have there, Peter!" answered Mrs. Pettigrew fondly.

"Sure they are," murmured Peter. "Now you can go, Mum, I promise I'll behave myself."

"Nonsense!" jumped in James. "Why, Mrs. Pettigrew, I'd be honored if you wanted to stay a while! Would you like a cup of coffee?"

Once again, Mrs. Pettigrew merely smiled at such courtesy, whereupon her son was glaring at his friends. They all knew that Peter was always pretty embarrassed by his mother's constant attention, and Sirius and James did their very best to get him wound up.

"See, Peter, dear? Your friends don't want me to leave!" she said affronted.

"Of course we don't!"

"Such a delightful lady!"

"Please _do _join us for a while at least!"

Mrs. Pettigrew chuckled. "As much as I would like to, my dears, I see I am clearly unwanted…"

"Nonsense!" repeated James, grinning.

"However, I do have some errands I must tend to. So, a very happy birthday to you, darling, and I really hope you all enjoy yourselves today," she finished graciously.

But she didn't leave before planting a huge kiss on her son's cheek and giving him a tight hug, for which Peter knew he would be teased for probably the next five years.

"Now you just _had_ to do that, didn't you?" asked Peter once his mother finally left.

"What are you talking about, Pete darling?" inquired James innocently, mocking Mrs. Pettigrew.

"Come on, it was completely uncalled for!" replied Peter angrily.

"Now, now, Wormtail, honey, remember what Mummy said, _do _behave yourself," answered Sirius, grinning.

"Oh shut up," muttered Peter.

Sirius feigned a look of shock. "Wormtail! Is that the way you should address yourself to Hogwarts' Number One Hottie?"

And once again, James and his best friend launched into another row as to who truthfully deserved such a powerful title.

By one o'clock, guests had begun to arrive, and while the Marauders busied themselves entertaining them (Sirius especially, er, 'entertaining' the females), James stood around fidgeting nervously, waiting for Lily to come. Of course, he tried looking as calm and haughty as he usually did, but Sirius noticed he kept running a hand through his messy hair, a nervous habit he'd had since he was five.

James kept glancing at his watch once every two minutes, and by the time the great grandfather clock hanging in the living room struck two o'clock, he was sure Lily was not going to come after all.

"Oh, quit squirming, James, I told you she's coming," said a voice behind him, making him jump.

"Oh, hi, Helen, nice to see you, too," answered James, staring at his cousin. As much as he didn't want to admit it, Helen was a very beautiful girl (as Sirius constantly reminded him… but then, James sometimes had the shrewd suspicion that to Sirius any girl would have been simply gorgeous as long as she was all over him… which Helen undoubtedly was): she had bright green eyes, long, messy dark hair, porcelain skin and a tall, slim figure, with all the curves a guy could want.

"I told you, Lily promised she wouldn't leave me alone with you lot for more than an hour, for fear your — what was it? — 'conceitedness' would rub off on me," repeated Helen.

"Uh-huh," answered Prongs distractedly. Then, he asked abruptly, "Listen, Hel, you two talk, don't you?"

"Um, yeah, that's something best friends usually do, yes," answered Helen, annoyed.

"Well? Does she ever mention how… handsome, sexy, athletic, and wonderful I am?" he asked.

"Uh, James, don't really know how to break this to you but, um, in case you've never heard her yell at you, she doesn't exactly think of you along those lines," said Helen.

"Oh come on, Prongs, mate, it's no mystery what Evans thinks of you, now, is it?" interjected Sirius, who had just come over (after smiling charmingly at a couple of girls nearby). "Oh, and hello, Helen dear, looking great as always."

"Thanks," answered Helen, blushing slightly.

"Anyway, Prongs, she just thinks you're this conceited, big-headed, selfish, vain, stuck-up prat, really," said Sirius, quite conversationally.

James shot him a glare. "Gee, thanks Padfoot."

"Not a problem. Anytime you want to be reminded at how shallow and arrogant you are, you know where to find me."

James looked at him wearily. "You're not helping, you know. And, anyway," he continued, turning to Helen, "I'm sure that's just an act. I mean, you girls love playing hard to get, and that's exactly what she's doing, isn't it? I mean, _come on _, who could honestly resist me?" he asked, smiling that cocky grin of his that often made girls faint at his feet.

"Well, mate, if Evans's faking it, then she's doing a really good job at it," said Sirius.

"I'm not so sure she is," added Helen.

"Yeah, well, what would you know about it?" asked James, irritably.

"Oh yeah, I mean, who am I to even _think _I know my best friend? I mean, I'm sure the guy she can stand less on this planet certainly understands her better than I do," said Helen haughtily.

"I'm not saying I understand _her _, because she's absolutely mad, but I understand girls in general…"

"You don't understand a single thing about girls, James," answered Helen quite forcefully.

"Heck, Prongs, your cousin's right: we can't really understand girls, they're all completely off their rocket, they are," added Padfoot. "I mean, look at that girl I was dating at the end of our fifth year… uh, what's her name again? I keep forgetting…"

"Who, Charlotte? Charlotte Norton?" asked James.

"No, no, not her… the one before her…" Sirius screwed up his eyes in concentration.

"Haley Something? That Hufflepuff?" tried James, yet again.

"No, Prongs, Haley was at the beginning of fifth year, I said the end," said Sirius impatiently.

"Oh, I'm sorry if I haven't completely memorized your complete list of past girlfriends, but I have a social life, too, you know, and keeping track of mine is more than enough… I am, after all, Hogwarts' Number One Hottie…"

"No, Prongs, how many times do I have to tell you? You are Hogwarts' _Head Boy _, not Hogwarts' Number One Hottie, because that would be me," answered Sirius with annoyance.

"Come again?" asked Helen, completely baffled.

Sirius turned his charming smile on her and said, "I am Hogwarts' Number One Hottie."

"No, no, not that… James…. as in, my good-for-nothing cousin, James… is HEAD BOY?"

"Yeah," said James. "And I'm not 'good-for-nothing', thank you very much!"

"Oooh," said Helen, "Lily's going to have a fit when she finds out…"

"She's Head Girl, isn't she?" asked James.

"'Course she is… not that there's any surprise there," answered Helen.

"Yeah… Prongs, here, is the real unexpected news… I mean, I'm sure Dumbledore must have sent the letters wrong or something…" spoke up Sirius. "Or maybe he was just drunk at the moment…"

"Oh shut up, Padfoot. Anyway, you were saying? About that girlfriend of yours back in fifth year?" asked James.

Sirius looked at him and shrugged. "Don't remember anymore. Anyway, point was, girls are mad. Period."

"So true," muttered James, once his cousin had stalked off.

Just at that moment, the doorbell rang. James made his way towards the door, and opened it to find Lily (looking unbelievably pretty, in his opinion), holding a small parcel. He smiled charmingly at her, while Sirius gave him the thumbs-up.

"You bought me a present, Evans? That was very nice of you. You do care about me then, don't you?" He got near her and whispered, "Want to go to dinner with me tonight to celebrate?" while wiggling his eyebrows at her in a very sexy way.

Lily stared at him, with her mouth pursed and her green eyes fixed on him (she strongly reminded him of strict Professor McGonagall), with an expression that looked almost amused. Almost.

"James Harold Potter! How many times do I have to tell you that as long as you behave like the total idiot you are I will never — _ever_ — go out with you! I'd rather date your dear friend, Severus Snape!" yelled Lily. She then hurled at him the parcel and said, "Here. But don't get your knickers in a twist, because the only reason I got it was just to be polite. Plus, Helen made me."

James's temper was definitely not improving; to lighten the mood Sirius spoke up, "Well, Prongs, seems you've got some competition!" He grinned, but James didn't even reply, as he tore open the bundle and revealed a navy blue watch. He beamed. "Thanks, Evans. But I already had one I was rather attached to… why did you get me another one?"

"I knew you had another watch, Potter; I thought it was broken, though, since you're always late; that way you'll be on time!" replied Lily.

"What! My watch works just fine, thank you very much!" answered James hotly.

"Really?" asked Lily, mock surprise in her voice. "Well, then, I guess instead of a new watch what you really needed was a trained wizard to teach you how to read it!"

Peter, who had just entered the room, stifled a snigger, but recovered his posture as soon as he saw the murderous look on his friend's face.

"Hey, what's wrong now with arriving fashionably late?" jumped in Sirius, offended, since he was always 'fashionably late'.

"And moreover, listen who's talking! The party was supposed to begin at one o'clock, you know, little Miss Perfect, and look at what time you turned up!" yelled James angrily.

"What?" said Lily. "I Flooed two hours ago and told your dumb little friend over there" (she pointed accusingly at Sirius) "that I was going to be late!"

James turned to Sirius, who shrugged. "So? She might have said something about it, now that she mentions it… But with all the things I had on my mind, how was I supposed to remember?"

James and Lily both rolled their eyes at Sirius, who merely shrugged again, before turning his attention to a pretty girl standing next to him.

"And, anyway, reading a watch is not my problem!" said James, trying to keep calm.

"Then what is it?" asked Lily, her eyes narrowing.

"You know what, Evans, what is _your_ problem? You don't like me? Fine. Just get on with it!" snapped Prongs.

"You're right, Potter, I _don't_ like you, and I never will. Happy birthday," retorted the redhead dryly. Then, without even waiting for his reply, she turned on her heel and headed out of the door, which slammed behind her.

James groaned loudly before going back to his guests, leaving Sirius, Helen, Peter and Remus all staring at each other blankly. After a few seconds, Helen followed suit, the remaining Marauders trailing behind her.

A/N: Okay, first chapter's done. Didn't really turn out as well as I'd hoped but I guess that's okay. Tell me what you think about it! Also, if you have any ideas for future chapters or anything, _do _tell me, I'm open to suggestions!

Please please review! Please! Pretty please with a cherry on top? Thanks.


	2. Getting to Platform 9 and 34

The next couple of weeks flew by in a haze, and before anyone knew it, it was already September first. In the Potter House, ever since 8 o'clock that morning, it was pure chaos. Sirius himself had woken up at 8:15, and now, at ten, he was still running around the house wearing only a pair of jeans and holding a doughnut and a glass of orange juice in his hands. Considering the Hogwarts Express would be leaving at 11 o'clock, this was not good.

"I'm late, I'm so bloody late!" he muttered, running downstairs to check that his trunk was shut and ready (for about the umpteenth time).

"Calm down, Sirius, dear, will you?" asked Mrs. Potter, fully dressed and ready to leave, but looking a bit frustrated. "You're driving me crazy! Just stop — _STOP_!" Sirius stopped dead in his tracks and stared at her, confused. "Good. Now, _walk_ upstairs, put your shirt on, clean yourself up and finish that doughnut." Sirius, as obedient as a tame puppy (which, he reminded himself, he was), did as he was told, and headed upstairs, running a hand through his long hair and grinning at her.

"All right. Shirt… shirt… shirt?" he stared around his room, searching frantically for his light blue shirt, and failing to find it. "Shirt, no shirt, no shirt." Puzzled, he looked around, unsure of what to do. Usually he'd have called James to help him find it… but James was nowhere to be seen. He was thinking about asking Mrs. Potter for aid when a loud crack interrupted his thoughts. He whirled around, looking for the source of the noise, and found himself face-to-face with Helen, who stared at him and blushed deeply.

It took Sirius about one minute to fully process what was happening. Staring down at his bare chest and unzipped trousers, he realised what Helen's stammering had to be about. He turned to her curiously. "Good morning."

Helen was still blushing and covering her face with her hands. "I'm–I'm really really sorry, Sirius… I, er, I only just got my, er, Apparition test, and, um, needless to say I'm not really good at it, yet… I was supposed to Apparate downstairs in the living room, because Aunt Elizabeth told me to, er, come over once I was ready so we could all go to King's Cross together… Are you, er, dressed now?"

Sirius buttoned up his trousers, and was about to grab his shirt when he realised he still had none. "I would, but I can't find my shirt right now." He complimented himself: at least now he was talking in sentences.

"Ah, er, okay. I'll just, um, go downstairs now, won't I?" asked Helen, grateful to get away (not that a bare-chested Sirius was a bad sight…).

Sirius smiled charmingly at her. "Well, if you see Prongs, could you ask him if he's seen the light blue shirt he gave me last Christmas?" Wow. Now he was even saying articulate if clauses. Hardly sounded like himself at all.

"Sure," answered Helen. "Where is he?"

"No idea," answered Sirius. "Haven't had the pleasure of seeing him all morning. Probably still in bed, recovering from last night's hangover." He was kidding, but now, come to think of it, he really _hadn't _seen James at all. What kind of idiot would still be sleeping soundly at ten A.M. when they were supposed to leave in less than half an hour?

"Still in bed? Are you serious?"

He smiled attractively at the girl. "Yes, madam, Sirius Black at your service!"

She laughed. "Now, really, though, shouldn't James be getting ready or something? I mean–" But she stopped at the ugly look on the handsome boy's features. His face had turned a shade of sour-apple green.

"Oh crap!" was the only sound that escaped his mouth.

"Is everything okay?" asked Helen, quite forgetting to shut her eyes. 

It took Sirius about a moment to recover, and immediately his toothpaste-ad smile was on his lips again. "Of course. I just realised I'd forgotten to do something." He turned around, still smiling serenely, and bellowed, "James! JAMES! Get that lazy arse of yours out of that bed right now! It's ten already!" He then faced a mildly surprised Helen again and said simply, "I was supposed to wake him at 8:30. No problem."

When no sound came from James' room, Helen turned to Sirius, "You know what? You keep looking for your shirt, I'll go call that dumb cousin of mine," she said, smiling slightly.

He grinned at her appealingly. "Now that would be great, my lady."

She blushed a little as she made her way to her cousin's door, knocked loudly and went in.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!" yelled two voices at the same time, as Helen, beet red in the face, made her way out of James' room, her right hand covering her eyes.

Sirius pulled himself together just in time to hear Helen murmur, "What is it, 'Let's-See-How-Many-Naked-People-Roam-Around-The-House-At-Ten-In-The-Morning Day'!"

"You were up already, Prongs?" asked Sirius bemusedly, as Helen went downstairs muttering about making breakfast. "I thought I was supposed to wake you."

"Padfoot, you _forgot_ to wake me, but since I don't trust you, I had set up Evans's watch with a backup timer at 9:45!" replied James impatiently, from his room.

"Oh," was all that Sirius replied. "Sorry, mate, didn't know that."

"Oh, shut up," retorted James impatiently.

A sly grin escaped Sirius's lips. "Come on, mate, she's your cousin! It's not like it's the first time she sees you undressed now, is it?"

"Yeah, well, the last time it's happened I was barely five! _Corporem Curo_!" yelled James, performing a hygiene charm on himself.

"Hey! At least she's cute! I mean, at least you're showing _someone _your 'perfect abs', aren't you? I mean, it's not like Evans's ever wanted to see such a thing, has she?"

"That's because she doesn't know what she's missing! I told you, she's just playing hard-to-get. You just watch, I'll have her throwing her knickers at me by Christmas," finished James, as he came out of the room finally dressed.

Once in the corridor, James stared at Sirius, still half-naked, and raised an eyebrow. "What? Don't tell me you're planning on going to school like this just to attract more girls." He grinned smugly. "I know it's hard facing you're only Hogwarts' Number Two Hottie, but really, do you think that by going around like this you could actually beat me?"

"Beat you to St. Mungo's, more like," came Helen's voice, as she came upstairs holding a tray with James's breakfast.

Sirius stared at her. "What, you don't find me unbelievably appealing like this?" he asked.

Helen gaped at him. There was a small smile playing on her lips, as she opened her mouth to say something but then shut it again. "I'll go get my trunk ready."

As Helen stalked away, Sirius turned to his best friend. "Told ya all girls are barking mad, didn't I?" He paused. "Anyway, you seen my shirt? The light blue one?"

James stared at him. "How would I know where it is? It's _yours _. Go look in your room."

Sirius grinned. "Oh, so you've cured your little kleptomania?"

"I am _not _kleptomaniac, Padfoot!"

"Oh yeah? What about that time with my pink, fluffy slippers?"

Helen, who had just re-entered the room, stared at him. "You have _pink, fluffy slippers _? Oh wait, don't answer that, I don't want to know." And she whirled around and positively ran down the stairs.

"That was just a– nothing! Summon the bloody shirt if you can't find it!" retorted James.

It was like a light bulb had clicked in Sirius's head, as he yelled, "_Accio_, shirt!" He grinned sheepishly at his best friend. "Now why didn't I think of that?"

"Because over half of your brain cells are missing. Even so much as assuming you could actually _think _would be like expecting Snivellus to wash his hair."

"At least I put up with such deficiency with good looks and charming manners, which make sure I am always surrounded by wonderful girls. Whereas you…?"

"I'm good looking and well-mannered!"

"I don't see you kissing Evans… or rather, I don't see you even having a normal, civilised conversation with her."

"Quit bringing that up! I told you it's just an act anyway… And," he added, shocked, "since when do you know words like 'civilised'?"

"Must have been my Veela Word-a-Day Calendar."

After a few more minor accidents, everyone was ready to go. Mr. Potter was the first to Apparate, while everyone checked one last time if everything had been packed. Then, once Mr. Potter had disappeared, the four remaining people followed suit. After a last glance at the Potter House, Sirius grasped his wand tightly, concentrated hard on King's Cross Station, and after a few moments of nothing but pitch-black around him, he opened his eyes and found himself in front of Platform 10.

"Great," said Mrs. Potter, looking around. "We're all here. Well, hurry up, dears: you kids go first, then we'll come right behind you."

Sirius, James, and Helen, each pushing a cart with a trunk and a cage (or, in Helen's case, a tiger-striped kitten) on top, made their way towards the barrier dividing Platform 9 and Platform 10. As they neared the wall, they began talking nonchalantly and soon found themselves facing the scarlet engine.

Helen immediately ran off to meet her friends, while Sirius and James stayed back.

"Well… here at last," sighed James looking around.

"Yup," said Sirius, "here at last."

"You know," said James thoughtfully, "this will be our last year at Hogwarts. We _have_ to make the best out of it."

"Yeah," continued Sirius, "we ought to do everything we haven't done yet…"

"This'll be our last chance," added James solemnly.

These words were followed by a thoughtful silence, after which Sirius spoke up. "Well," he said, rubbing his hands together in anticipation, "let's go make this year the most unforgettable!"

And the two, after a last goodbye to the Potters, made their way to the Hogwarts Express.

A/N: I wanted this chapter to be longer and talk about them actually 'getting' to school, but then I decided I'll put it in the next chapter because we need some Lily perspective here… anyway I hope you liked it and I would really really appreciate it if you reviewed! Ideas? Compliments? Critics? Just review and I'll be more than glad to read them!  
Really you've got no idea how much reviews mean to me! You guys make my day (especially when the reviews are positive… lol) ! Come on! Even if you don't like it, just tell me, because otherwise I won't know what I'm doing wrong! Pretty please with a cherry on top?


	3. Brekkie Show

Lily quite couldn't believe it. She had been most flattered when she received her letter along with her shining Head Girl badge, back in summer, but now she wasn't so sure she appreciated it much anymore: as soon as she boarded the Hogwarts Express yesterday, she was met by her best friend, Helen Bloom, who had told her she had quite a bit of _unexpected news_.

_"So, um, Lily, heard anything from your, um, fellow Head Boy?"_

"Of course not… I don't even know who he is! Do you_ know who he is?"_

"You could say that…" smiled Helen. "You'll never guess!"

"Okay…" she paused, thinking. "Tell me it's Remus!"

"It's not, but you're close," retorted Helen, still smiling.

"Close to Remus? Hm… Is it that friend of his, that nerdy Hufflepuff, Jedediath Stoid or something?"

"Nope, not even close."

"Just tell me! I don't know!"

"C'mon! Okay, I'll give you a hint… You don't have to be a Prefect to be Head Boy!"

"What? You mean Dumbledore picked someone who wasn't a Prefect? Why? I mean, that hasn't happened since — what? — a hundred years!"

"Yeah, and you still haven't heard who it is!"

"Who is it? Come on, I'd like to know who my Co-Head will be before we get to school…"

"All right… brace yourself, Lily, because it's going to be… well, shocking to say the least… it's your beloved admirer–"

"Not- not Potter_, right?" Lily interrupted, horrorstruck._

"Right in one, Lily," said Helen, laughing at the look of horror that spread on Lily's face. "C'mon, Lils, I'm sure it won't be so bad…"

"Oh. My. God. Is Dumbledore completely crazy or what? Why make him_ of all people Head Boy? The guy's doesn't even know what a Head Boy _is_! He's the worst prankster this school's ever seen along with Black, and Dumbledore makes him _Head Boy _! Why?"_

"Hey, don't take it out on me, girl, I've got no idea. I always said our dear Headmaster was completely mad."

"This is going to be one long year…" 

And though she had pondered about it for the whole night, she still couldn't explain it to herself. Who in their right mind would make _Potter_ Head Boy? He'd just abuse of his authority. It made absolutely no sense whatsoever.

Lily had never liked James Potter much. She always thought him to be too full of himself, because of his talent on the Quidditch field or his brilliance in class. But these feelings of mere contempt had turned into full-time hate when, back in fourth year, Potter had decided that she, Lily Evans, was going to be his one and only love. Not that Lily had actually believed for one second that his feelings for her were true: Potter was also well-known around Hogwarts as a womanizer, who could have all the girls he wanted. Well, if that's what she wanted with her, he was _not_ getting it.

She thought if she just rejected him, he'd get tired of harassing her sooner or later. How very wrong she was! Because each time she turned him down, he would shake his head and smile his usual cocky grin, before asking her out again barely ten minutes later!

Why, of all the female student population of Hogwarts, a handsome boy like Potter (handsome? I meant obnoxious, arrogant, and foul) would ever focus his attentions on her was still a great mystery. Lily wasn't ugly, but she definitely wasn't as drop-dead gorgeous as a lot of other girls in school: she wasn't very tall, with fiery red hair and freckles, and she was a bit too skinny for her taste; the only thing she liked about her appearance were her emerald-green, almond-shaped eyes, that she had inherited from her father.

"So, Evans, heard the great news, have you?" asked a voice that startled Lily. She had thought she was alone in the common room, but apparently someone had come in without her noticing. Unfortunately, he wasn't exactly the person she wanted to see at the moment.

"What do you want, Potter?" she drawled, rolling her eyes.

"I asked whether you'd heard I'd be your partner in crime for this year," he said, smiling smugly and nodding towards his Head Boy badge.

She stared at him. "Partner in crime? Oh, Potter, if you think I'll let you abuse of the authority Dumbledore foolishly gave you for your stupid little pranks, or… or to hex whoever you want without getting in trouble, you've got no idea how very mistaken you are."

"What? Oh, come on, Evans, it's only the first day and you already accuse me of such crimes! Why, I haven't even had time to _do_ anything!" he replied, mock-hurt. "Plus, now that I'm Head Boy I really have to be responsible now, don't I? Especially with you as Head Girl… aw, my pranking days are over…"

"Authority has never stopped you before, now, has it? I mean, if your friend Remus being a Prefect didn't knock any responsibility in that swollen head of yours, why should us being Co-Heads make any difference?" asked Lily, raising her eyebrow. 

"You never know, Evans. You'll see," he added, smiling. "So, um, Evans, I was meaning to ask you–"

Lily rolled her eyes before interrupting. "No, Potter, I will not go out with you, now or never, and no, snogging you senseless is not my greatest wish at the moment."

James stared. "That wasn't what I wanted to ask you."

"Oh," replied Lily, blushing. "Well, at least I made that clear, didn't I?"

"Sure did."

"So… what was it you wanted to ask me?"

James screwed up his eyes in concentration. Then he relaxed, smiled his cocky grin at her, ran a hand through his hair (a thing Lily hated above all others), and said cheekily, "Nope, you were right, that was exactly what I wanted to ask you. Answer's still no?"

Lily threw her hands up in frustration and didn't even reply. "You're such a prick. Will you ever grow up? Ever?"

Just then Black (another one of Lily's least favorite people along with Potter) entered the room. He stared at the two in amazement. "Well?" he asked.

Lily and James stared. "Well, what?" Lily spoke up.

"Well, as in, 'has the world stopped spinning or something?'," said Black. When he continued to receive blank stares from the couple he decided to elaborate. "Come on, Prongs, you and Evans in the same room without her yelling at you… since when have you been doing that? Talking normally, I mean," he added hastily.

Lily shrugged. "It's too early in the morning, I can't retaliate well like this."

"Oh well, that explains it," muttered Black. "Well, I'll just leave you two to your talking, then. See ya at breakfast, Prongs."

Lily got up from the couch she was sitting on. "No, wait, I'm coming too. I've already seen enough of Potter for today." And with that she hurried down the stairs.

Once alone in the common room, James stared at Sirius, who was trying to hide a grin. He smacked him hard on the head. "You idiot! What did you do that for!"

Sirius decided to play dumb. "That what, my dear friend?"

"Oh, stuff it, Padfoot, you saw it on the map that Lily and I were alone in here," he muttered angrily.

"I did, did I? My apologies, Prongs, I did not mean to interrupt," said Sirius, this time grinning openly.

"You sure as hell didn't mean it. You're such a jerk, for the one time she wasn't yelling at me!" exploded James.

"I know, that was so weird! I had to make sure you weren't doing anything else…" trailed off Sirius.

"You are a jerk."

"Thank you. I do try."

"Hungry?"

"Starving. Race you to the Great Hall."

"You're on."

And with that, the two tore out of the room.

"Hey, Lily, what kept you so long? The muffins are cold by now," said a tall girl with a round, friendly face.

"The usual idiot who won't stop badgering me, Alice. Nothing to worry about," retorted Lily, huffing.

"Oh? And what did Potter want?" asked Helen, who was seated on Lily's other side.

"Like I said, the usual. You know, asked me out… it's starting to get quite boring. I mean, the guy is just too predictable, you know?" She paused. "I wish he were more original than that: I mean, everyday it's always the same story…"

"More original?" asked Alice. "I didn't think you'd enjoyed it when he enchanted the ceiling of the Great Hall to read 'Lily Evans loves James Potter'- with that disturbing graphic underneath it — last year."

Lily thought for a moment before answering, "No, Alice, you're right. I guess I like him best when he's not that creative."

"Do my ears deceive me, my companion?" asked a voice from behind them.

"I daresay no," answered Black, who was standing beside James. "I fear I too heard Miss Evans pronounce the words 'I like him best' referred to you. Quite unbelievable."

Lily's face was crimson. "Don't get your knickers in a twist, Potter. The only way I'd ever like you would be if you'd completely lay off me, truth be told. But you're too much a prick to figure that out, aren't you?"

"Well, I don't think that's what I heard you say, my dear," said James, smiling. "Was that what she said, Padfoot?"

"Nope, it wasn't. I believe the words were 'I like him bet when he's not creative,'" answered Sirius.

"In that case I won't be creative. I was already thinking of a very creative way to ask you out, but I daresay you'd prefer a direct question?"

"I'd prefer you shutting up once and for all," said Lily.

"I'm afraid you can't have everything," spoke up Sirius.

"So, Evans, how about a little snog session in the broom closet on the second floor?" asked James innocently.

Lily got up and walked towards him. Alice and Helen, still seated, watched with interest. Potter just stared at her nearing form. "Pot–James," she murmured seductively.

James stared at her, shocked. She had never called him by his first name before. "Y-yes?"

"Now, listen very carefully to what I'm about to tell you," she continued, still talking quietly. She got even closer (something that made James clearly uncomfortable), so that her lips were barely an inch away from his right ear. "If you so much as say something else today about the two of us involved in anyway that isn't our Head duties, I'm going to perform a nice little charm on you I've only just learned. It's called Shrinking Charm. Unfortunately, I still have to learn its countercurse. Is that clear?"

She was still talking calmly and seductively, but James jumped back and stared at her in horror. "Y-you wouldn't!"

She smiled serenely. "Do you really want to try me?"

James gulped. He stared down then back up at her determined face. "Fine," he muttered, and stalked away.

Back at the Gryffindor table, Lily was met by rounds of applause by Alice and Helen. "Brilliant! That was absolutely brilliant!"

"I know. Should have done it earlier, shouldn't I?" asked Lily.

"Oh no, today was perfect. I would've paid a hundred galleons for the look on his face!" said Helen enthusiastically.

Alice frowned. "Do you really think your threat is going to have him back off for the whole day?"

"No," said Lily, "but at least I think I'll be fine for a couple of hours. And I didn't even have to waste my voice yelling!"

Helen smiled wickedly. "If he does say something, are you really going to shrink his… you know…"

Lily paused. "I didn't really mean it, but it _would_ be fun, just for the look on his face…"

And with another laugh, the three friends made their way to class.

A/N: So, how did I do? Does Lily sound less harsh and more Lily-like now? I hope I managed to make her less harsh but still cruel enough…. I'm not sure though… Anyway I really hope you like this chapter and please please review to let me know how I did, okay? Thanks!


	4. Tact

"And so then, if you'll believe it, she just comes really really close to me, speaking all sexy and stuff, and… and she tells me if I don't leave her alone, she'll shrink my… my…" James trailed off, looking hopelessly at his friends. "I mean, that is just low."

"Way below the belt," agreed Sirius. "And I meant that literally."

"You know, Prongs, I was thinking. What if you did leave her alone?" asked Remus after a while.

James stared at him as if he were crazy. "Are you kidding me?"

Remus shrugged. "Not really. I mean, you've been chasing after her for, what, three years?"

"Give or take…"

"Exactly. And what did you get?"

"Is that a trick question?"

"No, Prongs. I'm serious. You got nothing. She still won't talk to you, she still _yells_ at you, for God's sake! Give her a break. It can't hurt. I mean, it can't honestly get any worse than this, can it?"

Sirius and James looked at each other, thoughtfully. James had never even considered abandoning his pursuit as an option. It was simply crazy. Pointless.

He and Sirius exchanged glances again, and Sirius voiced what James was thinking. "Moony, mate, how many times have I told you to lay off any suspicious-looking substance Prongs gives you?"

Remus looked at him in frustration. "But don't you get it? James will never get anywhere this way! He should just leave her alone for a while, see how she reacts. I mean, I'm positive it'll work!"

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Coming from a guy who's still single…"

"Whatever. Just forget I said anything, okay?" said Remus.

"Yeah, like we always do whenever you say something," answered James. "I think I'll ask her again next lesson."

After a couple more weeks passed, however, James was actually starting to see Moony's idea under a whole new light. Didn't all the girls tell him he was the most charming and sexy guy they'd ever met? Didn't they tell him that no one in their right mind would ever think of rejecting him? Was he or was he not Hogwarts' Number One Hottie?

Well then why, why would the only one girl that mattered not want to go out with him? Actually, scratch that, why wouldn't Lily Evans even want to be seen _talking_ to him?

Long ago he'd come to the conclusion that Lily was special, that she was perfect, that she was _the one_. Now, after three years of vain attempts, he'd also come to the conclusion she was downright mad. He was James Potter, for God's sake! And he loved her!

Did he really, though? He knew what he felt for Lily wasn't just some silly infatuation. But maybe Remus was right. Maybe James only wanted Lily because she was a challenge. Because she was the one girl he couldn't have.

He stopped himself in mid-thought. He was starting to sound like Moony. What was he doing analyzing his Evans Obsession when he could be out there trying to make his wildest fantasies about her come true?

He jumped out of his bed, raced to the bathroom, kicked Sirius out of it ("I wasn't done choosing whichever side of my face looks more appealing yet!") and tried to get ready in the shortest possible amount of time. He then pulled on his robes and ran down to the Great Hall.

Lily and her friends, one Alice Henderson and his cousin, Helen, were already there, sitting one end of the long House Table. James quickly made his way towards them, stopping here and there to wave at his friends and admirers. He sat down right across from Lily.

"Good morning, Helen, Alice," he said, nodding to each of them in turn. "And good morning to you, my beautiful flower! How are you today?"

Lily rolled her eyes, while her friends seemed to be hiding smiles. "I was doing great up till now."

"Well, I know one thing that would put you in a good mood!" said James enthusiastically.

The redhead groaned. "If it involves me and you in the same room then I don't want to hear it."

James looked a bit put out but immediately recovered. "So I presume a quick snog before Charms starts would be out of the question?"

"Potter, I only just had breakfast, don't make me vomit," she replied coolly, looking repulsed.

"Can I ask you a question?" asked James, taking another stab at conversation.

"Not if it's about the same things as before." She paused for a moment. "Actually, no, I don't want to hear it anyway. We're in a bit of a hurry," she added hastily.

"Come on, Evans, just one question? Please?"

But she had already gotten up and stormed out of the Great Hall, closely followed by her friends. Helen only had time to shrug and whisper, "Better luck next time, James!"

James groaned. And when he saw Sirius, Remus and Peter make their way toward him, he felt even worse.

"So, Evans is really falling for you, isn't she?" asked Sirius, with his usual bark-like laugh.

"Ha ha. Very funny."

"I told you you should just leave her alone, Prongs! But do you listen to me?" asked Remus, sitting down next to him.

"When do we ever?" asked Sirius, helping himself to some toast.

"I can't leave her alone, Remus, I just can't! It's just… whenever I see her I have this urge to… to…"

"… make a complete ass of yourself?" supplied Peter helpfully.

"No. To ask her out… to try to make her fall in love with me," finished James.

"Yeah, well, it's not working very well, is it? I mean, whenever you do that, Evans always has this urge to… how shall I put this nicely?... _puke_…" said Sirius.

James glared at him. "Remind me again why I chose you as my best friend?"

Sirius grinned. "Because I am the best."

"Says who?" asked James, looking weary.

Sirius scoffed. "Prongs, not only does the Sirius Black fan club exist, but they've actually created a Sirius Black doll for all my fans around Britain."

Remus rolled his eyes. "My, my, this country is really going to the dogs…"

Sirius shrugged again, and helped himself to more toast.

"There's got to be a way to sweep her of her feet…" said James thoughtfully.

"I thought you were going to try with your Potter Charm again?" asked Sirius curiously.

"It's not really working, is it?" asked James glumly.

"Nope." He paused. "Wait a moment, what happened to your theory that Lily was only playing hard-to-get? You finally realized she can't stand you?"

"Padfoot, get a girlfriend," muttered James.

"I already have one, unlike you," he said smugly.

"Then go snog her, I really don't think I'll be able to resist the urge to curse you any longer…"

Sirius shook his head. "You know, you really need a girlfriend."

James breathed deeply. He really didn't want to go to Azkaban at seventeen. "Sirius, what do you think I'm trying to do with Lily!"

"I know, but I think we've already figured out she hates you. Just move on, mate! The sea is full of fish, and Hogwarts is full of beautiful girls! How about Moriah Newton? She's really pretty!"

James looked stunned. "Move on? _Move on_! Sirius, haven't you been listening? I love Lily! How could I just _move on_!" he said, angrily, spitting the words cruelly.

"Yeah, well, she doesn't exactly seem to be holding out for you, does she?" said Sirius.

"What do you mean?" asked James, immediately attentive.

Sirius nodded his head toward the door of the Great Hall. Apparently, Lily hadn't left after all. She was chatting nonchalantly with Darcy Plummet, a Gryffindor seventh year, who actually had a hand on her shoulder.

James involuntarily crushed the pasty he was holding. He had never liked Darcy. James knew he was probably a nice guy, but he also knew Darcy liked Lily very much. Heck, they always went to Hogsmeade together! 'Just as friends,' according to them, but the thing still looked pretty fishy to James.

He was about to get up. Plummet's hand had no business whatsoever on Lily's shoulder. Just as he was pushing back his chair, Remus put his hand on James's shoulder, forcing him to remain seated. "Don't, Prongs."

"What! Why not? That slimy git needs to take his filthy hand off her!"

Remus stared intently at him. "She's not your girlfriend, Prongs. Yet," he added hastily, seeing the murderous look in his friend's eyes. "If she likes Darcy then, well, let them at it…" Once again, he plunged on, as James's face was actually starting to scare him, "because, you know, she'll find out you're better than him, anyway."

Sirius scoffed. "What? And how, may I ask? I mean, Darcy is bright, he's a nerd, just like Miss Evans over there, he's quite good looking, from what my girls tell me, and, in case you haven't noticed, they actually talk instead of yelling and snapping and threatening…"

Remus rolled his eyes. James glared. "Thanks, Padfoot."

Sirius appeared oblivious to the sarcasm as he answered, "No problem, mate. Geez, dunno what Moony was thinking! And _he's_ supposed to be the smart one of the group…"

"It's called 'tact', Sirius," answered Remus, "something you lack completely."

Sirius shrugged, got up from the table and went to join a pretty Hufflepuff sixth year for a quick snog before class.

James was running towards the Charms classroom. Sirius had succeeded in talking him into meeting Moriah before class, 'to take his mind off his lack of love life' (which hadn't worked at all, because he kept thinking about Lily), and now he was horribly late. He skidded to a halt right in front of Professor Flitwick's room, opened the door, and panted a silly excuse ("I'm sorry I'm late, Professor, I was busy with Head Duties"), all the while avoiding Lily's gaze, who had opened her mouth as if to say something but apparently thought better of it.

"No matter, Mr. Potter, just take a seat," said the tiny teacher enthusiastically.

Lily rolled her eyes, as if to say, "Honestly, this guy could get away with anything…", but James ignored her and slumped into a seat at the back of the class, next to Sirius. His best friend grinned at him. "So?"

"It was terrible. I mean, Moriah's hot and everything, but it's just not the same…"

"How would you know? You've never snogged Evans, have you? Have you!" asked Sirius, panicking that his best friend might not have shared with him some juicy details.

"No, no… but, you know, I was just thinking of Lily the whole time, so, really, I didn't really enjoy it that much. And neither did she, I'm sure," finished James.

Sirius grinned smugly. "Told ya I deserve to be Hogwarts' Number One Hottie. _I_ never got a complaint, myself."

James rolled his eyes. "You're missing the point."

"What point? That you can't kiss?" asked Sirius, laughing.

"Padfoot, really, I'm not in the mood."

"Will you two shut up? Some people are actually trying to listen," whispered Remus, from the seat beside James.

"Oh yeah?" asked Sirius. "Like who? You?"

"No. Lily," said Remus, jerking his head toward the redhead, who was looking daggers at the three of them.

James followed the direction, saw her and grinned cheekily before shutting up completely.

Sirius shook his head sadly. "Honestly, this girl is ruining my favorite Marauder…"

And with that, he took out his Quick Quotes Quill (he couldn't actually waste his time taking notes!) and put his head on his arms, tuning Professor Flitwick out. He was snoring within two minutes, while Remus shook his head, with a look full of pity and concern.

A/N: well, I don't think I'll ever get tired of writing this plea: REVIEW! I know you people are reading this, just please please leave a review to let me know what you think! By the way I would like to thank everyone who did review, because I really appreciate, and especially Lexy Granger, who reviewed each chapter of this story and was the one responsible (thanks to the reviews) of making me decide to quit wasting my time watching tv and get this chapter done. Thank you!


	5. Plans

"Good morning, class," said Professor Flitwick cheerfully, smiling around at the students who were slowly filing in the room.

There was a general murmur of assent as the seventh year Gryffindors all slouched down on different seats. James, much to Lily's disgust, managed to get a seat right behind her, surrounded by the remaining Marauders. "Morning, Evans," he said quietly, though Lily didn't even bother to reply.

"Today we'll finally get started on Food Creating Charms. I would advise you all to study these most carefully, as they are very likely to come up in your N.E.W.T.s," continued the tiny teacher. "Now, Food Creating Charms are not very complicated, and they can come in very handy should any of you ever get stranded on a desert island."

"I wouldn't mind being stranded on a desert island with you," whispered James in Lily's ear.

Lily turned in her seat to face him. "Neither would I, actually."

James grinned cheekily. The girl had finally understood his unbelievable charm! VICTORY! He knew that sooner or later Lily was going to come to her senses and realise that no one could honestly resist him! "Oh you wouldn't mind?" he asked, trying to sound as suave and cool as possible while silently doing the happy dance inside.

"Well yeah… I mean, think of the possibilities! How easy would it be for me to kill you without anyone knowing! See, the only thing that's kept me from fulfilling this dream sooner was the prospect of spending my Potter-free life in Azkaban…" She paused, while James staggered. This was not how things were supposed to go!

"Actually," Lily resumed, "now that I think about it, I highly doubt I would be sent to Azkaban for getting rid of you… I would more likely be awarded some sort of prize for making the world a better place and other such special services to mankind in general…"

James just sat there, with his mouth hanging open. He'd been outwitted by Evans. _Again_. Sirius, beside him, was shaking with silent laughter.

"As I was saying," continued Flitwick, "these spells are actually quite simple, as long as you can focus your attention completely on the food that you want to create. You must know all its ingredients perfectly, and concentrate upon them quite carefully. Thus we shall begin with simpler foods, such as sandwiches or hamburgers, but I'd hope that by Christmas you'll be able to conjure more complicated dishes. The incantation for this spell is '_Manna_'. Now, let's see what you can do."

Lily was the first to actually be able to conjure up some food; on her second try, she did have, in fact, a small hot dog on her desk, with so much as ketchup and mustard.

"Very good, Miss Evans! Let's have a bite!" said the teacher enthusiastically. "Wonderful! Still warm, even! I'd say ten points for Gryffindor!"

Lily blushed as she tried not to look too pleased with herself. She decided to turn her attention elsewhere. And her eye fell on… Potter.

"Take a good look at this," he was saying loudly, as a fabulous-looking dish appeared on his desk. "_Escargots de Marseille avec de la sauce du poisson de Nice!_" he said, with a thick French accent.

Lily rolled her eyes. "What a show-off," she muttered.

"Oh yeah?" Black was saying. "Then watch this!" And, after performing the charm, another plate had appeared on the desk, looking even better than Potter's. "_Bouillabesse accompagne' par un delicieux vin de Dijon_," he said smugly.

Lily rolled her eyes again. She couldn't truthfully say who was worse between the two of them.

Professor Flitwick made his way towards the two boys' desk. "Wonderful! Well, boys, let's taste some," he said cheerfully. He took a bite out of James's dish and one out of Sirius, while the two waited with bated breath. He looked thoughtful for a moment, before spitting it all out and choking loudly. 

"Boys," he said, "when I said you had to know the ingredients, I meant it! I highly doubt escargots should have so much salt… and pepper… and… was that coffee? And in your bouillabesse, Mr. Black, well… I'm pretty sure that's not how it's supposed to be…"

The class roared with laughter, Lily amongst them.

James and Sirius just shook their heads, muttering darkly that it wasn't their fault if nobody appreciated some good old Nouvelle Cuisine.

Suddenly, James and Sirius whirled around as a loud "Wow" escaped Lily's lips. "What?" asked James.

"Beautiful," said Lily.

James smiled. "Thanks, not so bad yourself, Evans."

Lily rolled her eyes (something she had gotten rather accustomed to doing whenever she was near James Potter). "I wasn't talking about you, Potter."

He stared. "Oh yeah? And what, apart from me and you, deserves such an adjective? I mean, what can you be talking about if it's beautiful and not me?"

"Shut up, Potter. The world doesn't revolve around you, you know."

Since she was looking so annoyed, he didn't dare object to this, but he couldn't help laughing silently. _Everybody _knew the world secretly did revolve around him, mighty James Potter.

However, Lily's attention was not on him any longer, but it was focused on the thing that had actually captured it first: on Alice's desk was lying a perfect ice sculpture resembling a swan. Why exactly Alice had conjured an ice sculpture when they were supposed to be creating food, Lily had no idea, but it looked beautiful all the same.

"Miss Henderson?" asked Professor Flitwick. "While your creation is indeed outstanding, I… think it was beside the point…"

"Oh no, professor, it's completely edible! It's made of Ice Mice! I just thought I could make a pretty presentation as well…" said Alice, grinning.

"May I?" asked the teacher, pointing to one of its feathers.

"Of course," she replied, smiling. And as Flitwick complimented her and awarded Gryffindor another 20 points, it was James's turn to mutter darkly about 'show-offs'.

James ran around the boys' dormitory, looking for his pals. Two days had passed since that episode in Charms, and things with Lily had gone, if possible, even worse. Last night, as they patrolled the corridors together, she came to an all-time low.

_"I hate you, Potter! Will you ever leave me alone! Just stay out of my life!"_

Ouch. Even the mere memory of this encounter was too awful for him. That's when he realised he had a problem, and needed help to solve it.

"Padfoot! Moony! EMERGENCY MARAUDERS' MEETING, quick!" he shouted.

Immediately, three worried faces sat beside him on Sirius's bed. Finally, Remus spoke. "What is it, James?" The mere fact he was calling him 'James' denoted his worry.

"It's something horrible," replied Prongs.

"Oh my Goodness! What?" asked Peter.

"I — that is to say we — have a problem. A huge problem."

Sirius spoke up. "Listen, if McGonagall is still trying to pin on us the flood in the Slytherins' common room, tell her I have an alibi, Helen Bloom will be more than glad to confirm that," he added with a smile.

"No, it's got nothing to do with the flood we–" James paused. "Hold on a moment. Helen? You're going out with my cousin now, are you?"

"'S a matter of fact, I am. I always told ya she was gorgeous, now I can add that she also kisses unbelievably well," replied Sirius smugly.

"Yes, well, as interesting as your love life is, Padfoot," interrupted Remus, "I think Prongs was about to say something important, for once."

"For once!" asked James, scandalised. "Excuse me, everything I say is important!"

"I beg to differ," said Remus, "but never mind. What is this big problem?"

"Oh yeah," said James, sobering up at once. "_That_. Oh, it's terrible."

"If Slughorn is still going on about me copying from you that question about Wolfsbane Potion, then I–" interrupted Sirius once more.

"No, no, it's got nothing to do with school," answered James. "It's about Lily."

Remus gasped. "Lily? Oh my Goodness! Is she alright? Does it have to do with Lord Voldemort? Her parents are Muggles, aren't they?"

James shook his head. "No, no, she's fine. It's just…" He paused dramatically. "Yesterday, after class… she… she told me she hates me! Can you believe that? And now I dunno what to do with myself!"

The three remaining Marauders stared at each other in disbelief. Then Sirius spoke up. "Okay, Prongsie. Now, what really happened?"

"I told you, Padfoot! Lily said she hates me! She wants me to get out of her life!"

Remus was taking deep, steadying breaths. He seemed to be trying with all his might not to shout. "So this, _this_ was the big problem? That Lily won't give you the lights of day? That she point black refuses to have anything to do with you?"

"Yes," answered James soberly, glad that Remus had cottoned on so quickly.

"AND HOW THE HELL IS THAT OUR PROBLEM!" roared the werewolf, something so uncharacteristic of him that the three boys stared at him in disbelief. He breathed again and said, more calmly, "I meant, why does it concern us?"

James stared at him. "You're my best pals!"

"But we couldn't care less who you date — or don't date, in this case," said Sirius. "You shouldn't have called the Emergency Marauders' Meeting, it was extremely inappropriate."

Remus and James stared. "Inappropriate? Since when do you–"

Sirius rolled his eyes. "The Veela Word-a-Day Calendar, remember?"

"Right."

James stared at his companions. "Well? Aren't you going to help me with Lily?"

"Prongs, how can I make this simple concept clear to you? We. Don't. Care. Period," said Sirius slowly, to emphasise the last four words.

"But-but… Moony?" asked James desperately.

Remus rolled his eyes. "You're not going to shut up till we give you some advice, will you?"

James cracked a grin. "Nope."

"I knew it," sighed Remus. "Now listen up."

A/N: Okay, maybe not one of the best chapters, but it's not too bad, is it? Anyway, we're really close to the end of this story, I'd say another chapter and then the epilogue… which means that all of you, who are waiting some real James/Lily romance will be soon satisfied. I've already written most of chapter six, but I don't know when I'll have it up because I'm having some problems with my computer (yes, again).  
I'd say that's all… except… reviews?


	6. Finally!

"Hey, Eva- Lily, can I talk to you?" asked James bravely a couple of hours later. He decided to call her by her first name, instead of last, advice that had come from The Mind (Remus), who believed that 'you will certainly make a better impression if you dropped this last-name calling. I mean, the mere fact that you're calling Lily by her birth name shows much more intimacy and tenderness than a harsh "Evans!"'. Of course he, James, hadn't understood a single word of this little speech apart from the word 'better'. Since things with Lily could not be going any worse at the moment, he decided to try it out. "Hey, Lily!" he called again.

Lily turned around, obviously wondering who was calling her (_as if she couldn't already recognize my unbelievably melodious voice_, thought James), saw him and glared. "Since when are we on a first-name basis, here, Potter?"

Ouch. Last name. Something inside James's head told her this couldn't be too good a start. "Oh, um, I just thought that, um, we have known each other for six years and a half now, haven't we? Isn't it time for us to abandon this silly last-name calling, dear?"

"I don't think so, Potter."

Double-ouch. "This was unnecessarily unkind of you, Lily. I'm trying to be polite, now, darling."

Lily laughed. "'Darling'? If you want to be polite, why don't you call me Miss Evans? I think that would be most appropriate and… and it would actually make you sound almost like a gentleman, something we both know you'll never achieve."

"Miss Evans? Are you kidding me? Do you call Alice 'Miss Henderson'?" asked James, grinning.

"We're not friends, Potter."

Wow, this girl was trying to win the 'Harshest-girl-on-the-planet' award. James decided to play it cool, as he always did. "You're right, baby, we're so much more than friends… can't you feel the passion that–"

SMACK!

James massaged his cheek, glaring. "What the heck did you hit me for, Evans?"

"Because you can't shut up! This seems the only language you do understand!" said Lily angrily. "For now, keep it to Evans. And if you actually _do_ want to become friends with me — as if I could actually believe that — then start off by shutting up once and for all about a sentimental relationship between the two of us, all right!"

Prongs stared at her, at a loss for words. "What's that supposed to mean, 'as if I could actually believe that'? Huh? You don't think I want to be friends with you?" For the first time, during the whole discussion, he was unbelievably serious.

"Oh, come on, Potter, wake up! I'm not one of your stupid bimbos who can't even understand when a guy only flirts with them because he wants to take them to bed with him!"

James spluttered. "Wh-what?"

Lily laughed harshly again. "Didn't think I'd cottoned on? I'm surprised at you. I thought you said I was 'the brightest witch in the whole wide world'! Surely such a smart person can see through your stupid mask, can't she? You're just this snobbish, stuck-up womanizer who only sees girls as objects, enjoyable at night, aren't they, but nothing more. Well, excuse me, but I have a brain, I'm not going to fall for you and let you treat me as a — as a slut, and be hurt when you won't give a damn about me after you've had your little shag!"

James stared at her. This was totally wrong! Not for once did he think of her as an object, and he definitely wasn't going to leave her for no reason… "Lily, listen to me. I don't know why you think what you just told me, but — God, it's not true! Okay, listen, you've got a completely wrong image of me, okay? Fine, so I like to flirt with girls, I like to be around girls, but not to shag them, I assure you! If I haven't been able to keep a steady relationship with a girl it's only been because every time I am with one, I can't help comparing her to you, and… it's just not the same. You're the only girl I want to go out with…" He took a deep breath. "I love you, Lily. I swear I do. And… and just for your information," he added, flushing a deep shade of red, "I… I've never… I'm a virgin, for God's sake!"

Lily stared at him. She didn't know if she was more shocked about these last two statements or the whole little speech put together. She decided to take a deep breath before… she burst out laughing.

James stared at her. For the one time in his life he'd been honest with her, he'd exposed his feelings for her, and what was he getting in return? "Excuse me, could you enlighten me on what's so funny?"

Lily dried her eyes: tears were coming out of her eyes she was laughing so hard. "Oh, bravo, Potter, very good… I almost believed you for a moment back there… I suggest a career as an actor, Potter… or a play writer… the whole thing was well said, well acted… it almost seemed real…"

James had to exercise a lot of self control not to slap her. "Fine, Lily, believe what you want. I don't care. I don't care what you think, it doesn't matter. I love you, and I will forever, no matter what. I will go on and on asking you out, trying to make you fall in love with me, till you give me a chance, because I won't rest till I'll have you. Believe me, Lily. I joke around on a lot of things, but I've never been more serious than I am now, and I mean it when I say that I love you." He turned around, ready to leave.

"Wait," said Lily faintly.

"What do you want? Come to have another gloat?" asked James.

"No. Did you really mean what you said?"

"Would you believe me, even if I said yes?"

"I need to hear it from you."

"You know I do."

And Lily smiled. "Good. In that case, _James_… I am ready for a truce."

James stared. "What?" he asked, half to himself. Then he grinned, too. "Really, Lily? Oh, this is wonderful! So, um, does this mean you wanna marry me?"

"No!" answered Lily, shocked.

"Then does it mean you love me immensely?"

"No."

"Well, then, does it mean that snogging me senseless is your greatest ambition at the moment?"

"No," said Lily, half-laughing.

James stared. "Then what the hell does it mean!"

Lily smiled. "It means you have a chance."

"Oh," said James, a bit put out. Then he grinned. "A chance, you say? Well, it sounds good to me! It's more than I've achieved in the past 17 years of my life… So, um, what do you say? Wanna go to Hogsmeade with me next Friday?"

"I'd love to."

James Potter had never felt happier in his entire life.

A couple of months later, much to Sirius's disgust (he always complained that Lily had ruined his favourite Marauder), James and Lily were still going out together. As a matter of fact, they were hardly ever seen on their own nowadays. Always together, whether it be studying in the library for their N.E.W.T.s, or cuddling on the sofa in the common room at night.

On one of such nights, we find our darling couple sitting on a cosy sofa in front of the fireplace. Lily was reading a novel (_Pride and Prejudice_, by Jane Austen, her favourite author), and James… James was watching.

After five minutes of this, Lily couldn't help putting her book down and turning to her boyfriend. "James, sweetie, are you going to stare at me the whole time or are you actually going to _do_ something?"

He smiled. "Watching you and holding you here, like this, is more than enough." He tightened his grip around her. "We've been going out for two months and you still haven't dumped me… I think I'm dreaming…"

Lily giggled. "I never thought you to be so self-conscious."

"Because I care about you, Lils, and I don't ever want to lose you." He snuggled closer to her. "I love you."

"I love you, too." She sat up and stared at him. "And I meant that. Our relationship is very important to me. _You_ are very important to me."

James grinned cheekily. "Why's that? Because I'm the most handsome, perfect, and wonderful guy in the whole wide world?" Despite his going out with Lily, some things never changed.

"Yeah, and a real prat, not to mention a pain in the neck, arrogant, stuck-up–"

James put up a hand to silence her. "Hold on. I thought you were going to say why you love me? I like compliments."

"Did I ever tell you you're a prick? And a toerag?" asked Lily.

"At least twice an hour. Just so I don't forget."

Lily smiled. "I can't even stay angry at you any longer."

"That's because you _love_ me…" said James.

"I suppose so. Anyway," she resumed, "you're really really special to me. You are my first real boyfriend, my first kiss, actually, and my first love in general. You were a lot of firsts for me." She grinned slyly at him. "Too bad the thing isn't mutual."

"Oh, but Lily, you _have_ been a lot of firsts for me," said James seriously. "Many more than you think, actually. You have always been my first and only love. The first girl I judged not by her bra size or reputation — well, not entirely, anyway — but by her brains and her personality. The first person I loved more than my own life — and, knowing myself, that is saying something. Not to mention, my first crush," he finished, smiling. "So there, the thing _is_ mutual."

Lily grinned. "You're right." And with that, she closed the distance between their faces and pushed her lips on top of his.

And they kissed for quite a long time. Actually, they would probably still be at it if Sirius, merely ten minutes later, entered the room yelling, "I'm sorry, Lily, darling, but I'm going to have to confiscate my ex-favourite Marauder for a few minutes. His presence is requested elsewhere."

As James got up, the two boys distinctly heard Lily mutter, "Wow, that word-a-day calendar is doing wonders for you, Sirius. I should get James one as well."

A/N: There. So now you even know what the title stands for! Now, the story isn't officially over yet since I'm writing an epilogue. Hope to have it up by tomorrow. In the meantime… reviews?


	7. Epilogue

June 24th, 1979

James stuck his sweaty palms inside his pockets. Today was going to be the day. The day he was going to pop Lily the fatidic question. He'd been waiting for this moment for months, preparing for it for what seemed like ages… yet now he didn't feel so sure of himself any longer. What if Lily said no? Sure, the two had been boyfriend and girlfriend for over two years after Hogwarts, and he _felt_ she was the one for him… but what if the feeling wasn't mutual? Marriage was a big step, he knew it. And yet, the two had been through thick and thin together…

He paced around in his flat. Lily was late, as always. He'd told her to come at noon, that it was urgent. But since when did Lily actually listen to him? He felt the velvet box in his hand… Everything was going to go perfectly… right?

A sudden knock on the door startled him. "James!" called a voice he had no problem recognizing.

By the time he reached the door, nerves and anxiety for what he was about to do took over completely. "About time, Lily! I told you it was urgent, but since when do you care if it's about me! Huh!"

He was looking so angry that Lily was actually frightened. "I–I'm sorry, James. You know Mr. Turner, he wouldn't–"

"Whatever," he said savagely, gesturing her in. "_So._" Okay. Calm down, dude. _I can't scare her away before actually proposing to her_. "So," he said, more calmly.

"Yes, Jamsie?" asked Lily.

Breathe. Easy does it. "Yeah, sorry about that, Lils, I'm a bit stressed out, you know, work, stuff like that…"

"Yeah," said the redhead, smiling.

"But, um, anyway, I, uh… I asked you to come because I, uh… I was meaning to ask you something… something rather important, actually…" he stammered.

"Fire away," said Lily, dying with curiosity by now.

"Yeah, um, what I — what I wanted to-to ask you was, um…" _Get a grip on yourself, man! Are you JAMES POTTER or not!_ he scolded himself. "I was meaning to ask you if you… perhaps… wanted to- to… go to dinner with me tomorrow night…. I reckon we could go to Suze's, we haven't been there in a long time…" _Oh great, Potter, well done. You blew it!_.

"Sure," said Lily.

"Okay, great, um, I'd already made reservations, actually," he finished, laughing nervously. He couldn't help running a hand through his hair, even if he knew it annoyed Lily most immensely. "Right," he plunged on. "Right, but I was, I was actually meaning to ask you something else, too."

"Go on, Jamsie, I'm listening."

"Goody… so um, I was wondering whether you… you…" _Say it, Potter! Just say it!_ "Did you see the Loners lost to the Tornadoes yesterday?" he finished lamely.

"Oh yeah!" answered Lily enthusiastically. She was a great fan of the Tornadoes. "Yeah, that save Corrington made at the end of the match, you know, when Blinkley was flying full force toward him with the Quaffle, that was magic! Absolutely fantastic!"

"Yeah," answered James distractedly. Now. He'd have to do it now. Was he a Gryffindor or not? _Then be brave!_ he urged himself. "Lily, I… I was wondering another thing, though…"

"Just one more?" asked Lily, smiling.

"Yeah." He gulped. Now or never. "Lily, do you think you might wanna… Do you reckon you…" Deep, steadying breath. "Lily, will you marry me?"

Lily stared. And stared. For the first time in her life, she was completely speechless. Whatever she was expecting, it definitely wasn't a proposal. Her brain didn't seem to be working properly. After about two minutes of staring (to James it seemed like two years) she finally unglued her tongue. She wanted to say yes, but what came out was, "Are you serious?"

It was James's turn to stare. Oh no. It had already been awfully difficult saying it once, and Lily actually wanted him to repeat it? No way. He decided to play it cool, as he always did in these cases. "No," he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "No, I don't mean it. I just wanted to say something really impressive and stupid, and somehow, the sentence 'Sirius has just been kidnapped by aliens' didn't sound too appropriate."

Lily nodded. "Yes."

"Yes? Yes, what?" asked James. His eyes widened. "Oh my God, Sirius has _really_ been kidnapped by aliens!"

"Yes I'll marry you, you dolt."

"Oh," said James. He grinned. "Okay then. Here," he added, taking out the velvet box. "Have a ring."

Lily couldn't help giggling as she took the box from him. He could be ever so romantic sometimes… and others just… not. She gasped as she opened the box. "Oh my Goodness! James, it's… it's beautiful!" she cried, as she took out a gold ring with a huge ruby.

"Gryffindor colours, you know," said James offhandedly. He grinned. "Read the inscription inside."

And as Lily did, her heart leapt. Inside where written three words. But not the three words she was expecting.

**_First Lasts Forever _**

And she threw herself at James. "I love you!"

He grinned as he kissed her. It went better than he'd expected.

They were startled as a loud crack sounded in the room. They looked up to see Sirius staring at them, a disgusted expression on his face. "Prongs, you've only just left work an _hour_ ago, I can't leave you alone for a moment that you immediately turn into a snogging machine. Please get a grip on yourselves, you two."

"Padfoot, there is one thing right now I want and need from you, mate," said James. "It's called _privacy_."

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Huh-uh."

"Honestly," said James, standing up, "I should really start putting charms on this house, at least to stop you Apparating in here every moment. Especially _now_," he finished, smiling significantly at Lily.

"Why?" asked Sirius. "You haven't put them up in the past two years, why should you do it now?"

Lily spoke up. "Sirius, James and I are getting married."

He laughed. "Yeah, right."

She showed him the engagement ring.

They heard a strangled cry as Sirius fell to the floor, out cold.

October 30th, 1981

"That was the most romantic thing I've ever heard, Lily," said Alice as she sipped some tea at James's and Lily's house. Lily had only just finished recounting the unforgettable day when her husband had proposed to her.

Lily laughed. "It was _not_!"

Alice shrugged. "Okay, yeah, it wasn't, but at least James plucked enough courage to pop the question, didn't he? _I_ had to ask Frank myself, otherwise Neville wouldn't be here now, I'm sure," she said. "Would you?" she cooed, tickling her son, who was seated in her lap.

"But let's talk about me, shall we?" interrupted Helen, who was seated next to Lily. "Sirius hasn't even proposed to me! If, you know," she added hastily, "he intends to marry me at all."

"Are you kidding me?" asked Lily. "You and Sirius have been going out for how long?"

"Two years and a half. Not counting two months at Hogwarts," said Helen.

"Yeah," said Alice, "and apart from you, how long had Sirius's longest relationship lasted?"

"Two and a half days," answered Lily. "So there, if he doesn't wanna marry you, Hel, then he's either crazy or unbelievably stupid."

Helen grinned. "Oh great, then I've got no hope. We all know he's unbelievably stupid!"

As the three friends laughed, Lily got up and picked up Harry, her one-year-old son. She seated him on her lap before joining back her friends on the sofa.

Helen broke the silence. "Any… any news about… about You-Know-Who?" she asked.

The tension that filled the air at those words was palpable. Lily shrugged. "He's still after us, but Dumbledore's plan seems to be working for now." She looked at Alice. Because of Neville, Alice was in the very same position as Lily. "I can't say anymore there, except, you know…" she sighed. "Let's keep our fingers crossed and hope for the best, right?"

The two girls nodded gravely. "I'll be glad when this'll all be over," said Alice. "If, you know, we'll ever get to see the end of it."

Helen stared reprovingly at her. "Don't talk like that, Alice. We've got Dumbledore on our side, haven't we? Hope is the only thing You-Know-Who can't take away from us, we must hold on to it…"

Alice smiled. "You're right, Hel." She got up and grabbed her coat. "Listen, I'd better go. It's late, I wouldn't want Frank to worry."

Helen got up as well. "I'd better go, too. I'm meeting Sirius later tonight." She winked. "You never know…"

Lily nodded. "Yeah." She turned to Harry. "My boy, we'd better get to bed, now, shouldn't we?"

"Gaah!" said the little boy.

Lily smiled. "Yeah. Gotta get ready for tomorrow, it's going to be your first Halloween party…"

And with that, she got up, said goodbye to her best friends and took Harry to his room, before going back downstairs to join her husband in the living room.

THE END

A/N: That's all, folks! Sad, this last part, isn't it? I wanted it to end with Harry's _first_ something, you know, since the whole story talks about firsts… Oh, I'm so sad now! I mean, we all know what's gonna happen on Halloween, don't we?  
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the story! Many thanks to all of you, my faithful readers, and especially those who took the time to review… This is it, end of story! I hope you all liked it and I also hope I'll get a whole lot of reviews for it… what do you say?


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